U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement: "Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies violate antitrust laws. If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to consolidate its smartphone monopoly."
The Apple logo at the company's store in New York.
According to Reuters, the U.S. Department of Justice alleges that Apple uses its market power to make extra money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.
The civil lawsuit alleges Apple engaged in illegal monopolistic practices regarding smartphones, maintained by imposing contractual restrictions and preventing developers from accessing essential resources.
Apple has faced antitrust investigations and rulings in Europe, Japan, and South Korea, as well as lawsuits from competitors such as Epic Games.
With this lawsuit, Apple has joined the list of major tech companies being sued by US regulators, including Alphabet's Google, Meta, and Amazon. These lawsuits have taken place during the administrations of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
In a statement released the same day, Apple asserted that the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit was "false in both fact and law" and that the company would strongly appeal. The company argued that the lawsuit threatened its image and the principles that have made Apple products unique in a fiercely competitive market.
"If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple, where hardware, software, and services come together," the company stated.
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